A corpora



Aug. 26, 1924. 1,506,349

A. H. KERNGOOD CLAMP I NG BUCKLE Filed Nov. 19,1925 I Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN H. KERNGOOD, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO ALMA MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY OF BALTIMORE CITY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORA- DION OF MARYLAND.

GLAMPING BUCKLE.

Application filed. November 19, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN H. KERNGOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Clamping Buckles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to that type of buckles represented in Patent No. 1,473,581, dated November 6, 1923, and granted to Alma Manufacturing Company of Baltimore City, assignee of the undersigned inventor, and in which the frame supports a lever clamping member and a floating clamping member, the former serving to engage one end of a belt or strap and to move the latter into or out of clamping relation to the free end of the belt or strap.

The primary objects of the invention are first, to avoid external projections on the frame and to confine the working parts and their bearings within the interior area of the frame, and second, to improve the construction and mode of operation of the floating clamping member.

The invention consists of a buckle of the type referred to in which there is a duplex clamping member provided in the instance shown with a floating part which is adapted to clamp the adjustable end of the belt or strap and a lever part which is adapted to clamp and anchor the fixed end of the belt or strap, this duplex clamping member being pivotally mounted in bearings located wholly inside of the side flanges of the frame and beneath the face plate thereof so that the frame is free of external projections and the side flanges thereof are smooth and unobstructed on their outer faces, and in which also the floating clamping member has belt or strap engaging lips of different elevation so that the buckle is adapted for use with belts or straps of different thickness, the connection between the lever clamping member and the floating clamping member being such that the latter is self-adjusting with relation to the former to conform to the thickness of the belt or strap, all as I will proceed to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a front view, and Fig. 2 is a Serial No. 675,699.

rear view. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1 and showing a belt in place and fastened. Fig. 4 is an inverted perspective view of the frame. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the duplex clamping member. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the floating clamping member. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of part of the lever clamping member.

The frame is composed of a face plate 1 of any suitable construction and design, preferably concavo-convex between its ends and having substantially flat ends 2, and the parallel side flanges 3 of suitable contour, size and arrangement to receive and hold the movable parts or clamping members referred to.

In prior constructions of buckles of this type, some or all of the movable members have been pivotally supported in the frame by trunnions extending through the sides and projecting externally beyond the sides, or instead of trunnions, pivot pins have been used and similarly mounted and projected. Such projections interfere with the appearance and finish of the buckle and in addition are apt to catch in the clothing. To avoid the use of externally projecting parts for the movable members I provide the side flanges with opposite parallel inside bearing pieces 4, which are formed of extensions of the side flanges and bent inwardly upon the side flanges. These bearing pieces are provided with the bearing holes 5.

The lever clamping member may be of any usual or approved construction, excepting as hereinafter explained, having a base piece 6 provided with ears 7 in which is pivoted the clamping lever 8 of any usual or approved construction and adapted to clamp the fixed end of the belt or strap against the base piece when this clamping lever 8 is turned from the open position. Fig. 5 and into the closed position, Figs. 2 and 3. The opposite end of the base 6 has the raised portion 9 on which the lever 8 comes to rest, and this end of the base is turned down substantially at right angles to the base to form the tongue 10, and this tongue is provided with the trunnions 11 which engage the holes 5 in the bearing pieces 4 for pivoting the lever on the frame. Below these trunnions the tongue 10 is provided with the notches 12 which afford the laterally extending projections 13 and on these projections is suspended the floating clamping member as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 for clamping the free or adjustable end of the belt or strap.

The floating clamping member is in final form a hollow body having the upstanding portions 14 spaced apart to stand on opposite sides of the tongue 10. The opposite portion of this floating clamping member is provided with a substantially straight belt gripping lip 15 and a wider and curved belt gripping lip 16. This floating clamping member has substantially tubular ends 17 which. are formed by closing the metal about the projections 13 of the tongue 10 in such way as to afford a self-adjusting pivotal connection between the lever clamping mem ber and the floating clamping member by which this floating clamping member is free to adjust itself to the thickness of the belt and to throw the strain of engagement with the belt on one or the other of the lips 15 or 16, and against the back of the face plate.

The. floating clamping member has a sort of rolling motion in connection with the lever clamping member in order to effect the selfadjustment of the floating clamping member with the belt or strap.

The floating clamping member is so pivoted on the tongue 10 that while it has the described rolling motion, this motion is limited by the tongue of the lever clamping member coming into contact withthe adja- 1cent edges of the floating clamping me1n- When the buckle is clamped to the end of a belt or strap 18, as shown in Fig. 3, and the free end of the strap, is passed behind the face of the frame and between such face and the floating clamping member, the lever clamping member is turned over, as shown in Fig. 3 and; rolls the floating clamping member into holding contact with; thefree end of the belt or strap.

In order to secure the. alignment of the lever floating member with the side flanges of the frame, and, further, in order to prevent the accidental movement of the lever clamping member, the side flanges of the frame are provided with the inwardly inclined lips 19 which bear upon the side edges of the base 6 with sufficient pressure to hold the lever clamping member in position. This provision will obviate the necessity of marring the sides of the frame by prick points, as has heretofore been done in order to hold the ratchet, as it is called, in place, and by the term ratchet, I refer to the part otherwise referred to as the lever clamping member. The lever clamping member and the lips are engaged by a snap ping action.

The lever 8 is shown as provided with teeth to bite into the strap without penetrating it, but obviously this clamping element may be otherwise constructed to afford a secure anchoring of the strap in the lever clamping member.

While I prefer to construct the bearing pieces 4 as integral parts of the sides of the buckle frame, it is obvious that these bearing parts may be otherwise constructed so long as they are not visible on the outside.

Referring to the floating clamping member again, it is noted that it is herein shown as composed of a piece of sheet metal cut to form the various parts and then folded, but it is obvious that the invention is not limited to the mere details of construction.

The pressure of the floating clamping member when engaging a belt or strap is taken by the upper edges of the notches 12 rather than by the bearing holes 5 and thus the trunnions, 11 are relieved of bending strains and the bearing holes 5 are relieved of tearing or distorting strains, and these features are particularly useful when the buckle is used on a heavy or thick belt or strap. The arrai'igement also overcomes any tendency of the parts to spring under Stl2t-l11,2t11l prevents a thin belt or strap from slipping. The floating clamping member has, in effect, radial bearings on the lever clamping member as well as. axial bearings thereon.

As indicated in Fig. 3, those edges of the floating clamping member which engage the belt may be bevelled in order to more read ily bite into or take hold of the. belt.

The edges 14L of the floating clamping member may also be of different contour or width and one of them may serve to turn the floating clamping member on its pivots as the belt is being inserted, so as to insure the belt gripping position.

While I have shown the edges or lips of the floating clamping member as of differ;- ent profile, it is to be understood that the invention is not thus limited, inasmuch as'the profile of these edges or -lips may be varied to conform to the contour of the frame of the buckle or to meet, other conditions of use.

Variations in details of construction and the arrangement of parts are within the principle of the invention and the claims following.

What I claim is 1. A. clamping buckle, having a face plate and rearwardly projecting opposite side flanges provided with inturned bearing members, and a lever clamping member pivotally mounted in said bearings, said side flanges having inwardly inclined lips pastwhich the lever clamping member is snapped and thereby held in locked position.

2. A clamping buckle, having a frame composed of a face plate and opposite. side flanges, and a lever clamping member pivotally mounted inside the frame and between its side flanges, and a floating clamping member pivotally mounted on the lever clamping member and between the lever clamping member and the back of the face plate and adapted to be moved by the pivotal movement of the lever clamping member into and out of engagement with the free end of a belt or strap, said floating clamping member being wholly supported by the lever clamping member.

3. A clamping buckle, comprising a frame, a lever clamping member pivotally mounted inside the frame and having a depending 4 tongue, and a floating clamping member loosely pivoted on said depending tongue Without other connection with the frame and having a rolling action and provided with differential belt-engaging lips to engage belts of different thickness, said floating clamping member automatically accommodating itself to variations in thickness of the belts as the lever clamping member is moved into clamping position within the frame.

4;. A clamping buckle, having a frame, a lever clamping member pivotally mounted within the frame and having a depending tongue and a floating clamping member carried by said tongue and provided with beltengaging lips of different width and profile to engage belts of different thickness.

5. A clamping buckle, having a frame, a lever clamping member pivotally mounted within the frame and having a depending tongue provided with laterally extending projections, a floating clamping member provided with a belt-engaging lip and tubular ends engaging the projections on the depending tongue.

6. A clamping buckle, having a frame provided with a face plate and opposite si de flanges, said side flanges having bearing pieces made in one piece therewith and bent over against the inner sides of the side flanges and provided with holes, a lever clamping member provided with trunnions seated in said holes, and a floating clamping member loosely pivoted to the lever clamping member and wholly borne by it, whereby the pivotal connection of the lever clamping member with the frame and the pivotal mounting of the floating clamping member are concealednwithin the frame when the buckle is in use.

7. A clamping buckle, having a frame provided with inside bearing pieces, a lever clamping member having trunnions pivotally engaging said bearing pieces, laterally extending projections arranged below said trunnions and separated therefrom by notches, and a floating clamping member pivotally mounted loosely on said projections and having radial bearings on the upper edges of said notches when under pressure.

8. A clamping buckle, having a frame, a lever clamping member pivotally mounted within the frame and having a depending tongue provided with laterally extending projections, and a floating clamping member pivotally mounted upon said projections and provided with belt engaging lips of different width and profile to engage belts of different thickness.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of November, A. D. 1923.-

ALLEN H. KERNGOOD. Witnesses:

M. F. BOSWELL, EMMA DELAPLANE. 

